I'm a Chistian. And no, I'm not religious just because I want to tell people to go to hell. I'm religious because I believe in my God and I believe that he created everyone with a free will. I don't judge. You want to be an atheist? M'kay. You want to be gay? I'm good with that. You want to rip off your clothes and go walking in the streets because you chose to be a nudist? I'll try not to look. But honestly, I don't care. All I want is to believe that when I die, I'll still be able to be really happy with my whole family. Sure, the thought of it being eternal kind of scares me. But I'm human. And humans are naturally afraid of the unknown.

I'm guessing you haven't read the bible in its entirety and are therefore ignorant of the disturbing nature of what it teaches. But the reason you listed for your religion is a very common one. People are afraid of death- they want to believe that when they die, they don't actually die but get to live forever with their god and their family. It's a much better thought than reality. Every atheist, muslim, person in the world would rather live in a world where you never die and get to spend eternity with your loved ones rather than just cease to exist. Unfortunately, what we want is not always reality. Some people just have to capacity to deal with the harsh reality. It makes me cherish my family, friends that much more knowing that we only live our lives once, and we should make the most of it and not do anything we regret.

To be honest, atheists just get me annoyed with how they say that THEY'RE always right, without even thinking or considering what the other party has to say. Some atheists that I've met, have been very rude to me, just because I choose to believe in my creator. And they don't even bash on other religions. It's always, ALWAYS, Christianity that they hate so much. And they're always trying to push their almighty "science" on me and other people. Why? Why can't people just accept what other people believe in and just leave it at that?

I have no problems with christians who realize that 1) bible is not history and 2) bible has some good teaching and some very flawed teaching. These christians are able to take the good, ignore the bad parts, and generally be good human beings. The problem is with the nutjobs who insist bible is the literal word of god and that everything and anything written in it is above questioning.

I've prayed to God all my life, and he's always answered my prayers. He works in mysterious ways. I feel that sometimes, I can feel the Holy Spirit, and sometimes, I cry when I hear about what Jesus did for me. Yeah. That's right. I CRY. That's how powerful it is. It just really gets to me. And yes, at one point in my life, I've actually questioned the existence of my God, which I regret extremely. I'm only human. And when an atheist starts talking about how I'm believing in some "imaginary sky wizard" it really pisses me off. They have NO right to question my beliefs. I won't question them, and they shouldn't question me.

So, yes, I believe in God, with all my heart and soul. And, though, I make mistakes, and sometimes swear when I get frustrated, or watch *cough* yaoi *cough*, I will still try to be the best person I can be. Because, like I said, I'm only human.

People have every right to question the validity of a belief. It is always healthy to have the ability to question and think for yourself. Why would anyone want to follow anything blindly without question?

See. That. That right there. THAT. That's why I'll never be able to accept anything an atheist has to say. You people are always so rude. You think just because you have "science" that, that just gives you the right to criticize and insult Christians or other religions?

Yes. I DO know what's in the bible. I know all about the terrible things that's written in there. Some of those things were part of the reason why I questioned my religion in the first place. I'm NOT some blind idiot who follows everything that the bible says without ever questioning it. And don't treat the bible like it's some everyday horror novel or a porno where it makes you say stuff like "The content in that book is unheard of!" Stop being such a freakin' pussy. Because if that's what you're going with to hold up your argument, then there's no reason to even begin an argument in the first place.

I'm a Chistian. And no, I'm not religious just because I want to tell people to go to hell. I'm religious because I believe in my God and I believe that he created everyone with a free will. I don't judge. You want to be an atheist? M'kay. You want to be gay? I'm good with that. You want to rip off your clothes and go walking in the streets because you chose to be a nudist? I'll try not to look. But honestly, I don't care. All I want is to believe that when I die, I'll still be able to be really happy with my whole family. Sure, the thought of it being eternal kind of scares me. But I'm human. And humans are naturally afraid of the unknown.

I'm guessing you haven't read the bible in its entirety and are therefore ignorant of the disturbing nature of what it teaches. But the reason you listed for your religion is a very common one. People are afraid of death- they want to believe that when they die, they don't actually die but get to live forever with their god and their family. It's a much better thought than reality. Every atheist, muslim, person in the world would rather live in a world where you never die and get to spend eternity with your loved ones rather than just cease to exist. Unfortunately, what we want is not always reality. Some people just have to capacity to deal with the harsh reality. It makes me cherish my family, friends that much more knowing that we only live our lives once, and we should make the most of it and not do anything we regret.

To be honest, atheists just get me annoyed with how they say that THEY'RE always right, without even thinking or considering what the other party has to say. Some atheists that I've met, have been very rude to me, just because I choose to believe in my creator. And they don't even bash on other religions. It's always, ALWAYS, Christianity that they hate so much. And they're always trying to push their almighty "science" on me and other people. Why? Why can't people just accept what other people believe in and just leave it at that?

I have no problems with christians who realize that 1) bible is not history and 2) bible has some good teaching and some very flawed teaching. These christians are able to take the good, ignore the bad parts, and generally be good human beings. The problem is with the nutjobs who insist bible is the literal word of god and that everything and anything written in it is above questioning.

I've prayed to God all my life, and he's always answered my prayers. He works in mysterious ways. I feel that sometimes, I can feel the Holy Spirit, and sometimes, I cry when I hear about what Jesus did for me. Yeah. That's right. I CRY. That's how powerful it is. It just really gets to me. And yes, at one point in my life, I've actually questioned the existence of my God, which I regret extremely. I'm only human. And when an atheist starts talking about how I'm believing in some "imaginary sky wizard" it really pisses me off. They have NO right to question my beliefs. I won't question them, and they shouldn't question me.

So, yes, I believe in God, with all my heart and soul. And, though, I make mistakes, and sometimes swear when I get frustrated, or watch *cough* yaoi *cough*, I will still try to be the best person I can be. Because, like I said, I'm only human.

People have every right to question the validity of a belief. It is always healthy to have the ability to question and think for yourself. Why would anyone want to follow anything blindly without question?

True on the part I bolded in your quoted post. However, what annoys the crap out of me is how disrespectful religious and non religious people go about questioning the validity of the other. Not referencing you specifically or anything like that, just was browsing and saw that point brought up in your post.

See. That. That right there. THAT. That's why I'll never be able to accept anything an atheist has to say. You people are always so rude. You think just because you have "science" that, that just gives you the right to criticize and insult Christians or other religions?

Yes. I DO know what's in the bible. I know all about the terrible things that's written in there. Some of those things were part of the reason why I questioned my religion in the first place. I'm NOT some blind idiot who follows everything that the bible says without ever questioning it. And don't treat the bible like it's some everyday horror novel or a porno where it makes you say stuff like "The content in that book is unheard of!" Stop being such a freakin' pussy. Because if that's what you're going with to hold up your argument, then there's no reason to even begin an argument in the first place.

You are young so I'll cut you some slack. You asked the question why do people criticize christians or other religions? You answered it yourself: " I know all about the terrible things that's written in there. Some of those things were part of the reason why I questioned my religion in the first place. " So why do you get so pissed off when others have the same concerns you had?

chase6565wrote:
True on the part I bolded in your quoted post. However, what annoys the crap out of me is how disrespectful religious and non religious people go about questioning the validity of the other. Not referencing you specifically or anything like that, just was browsing and saw that point brought up in your post.

How do you politely and respectfully communicate that you think the bible is full of crap and that religious people are delusional? There really isn't a way. Why is it socially acceptable to publicly profess your faith while stating the opposite viewpoint is considered controversial? It's best to just be honest with others and especially yourself and not worry about what everyone else thinks.

chase6565wrote:
True on the part I bolded in your quoted post. However, what annoys the crap out of me is how disrespectful religious and non religious people go about questioning the validity of the other. Not referencing you specifically or anything like that, just was browsing and saw that point brought up in your post.

How do you politely and respectfully communicate that you think the bible is full of crap and that religious people are delusional? There really isn't a way. Why is it socially acceptable to publicly profess your faith while stating the opposite viewpoint is considered controversial? It's best to just be honest with others and especially yourself and not worry about what everyone else thinks.

Why do you need to question people's beliefs at all? Why does there need to be judging? Just let people believe in what they want to believe in, period. You come off as rude when you decide that you're the only one that's right and blind idiots need to accept what you, and ONLY YOU, have to say. How's that fair? Why do you feel the need to have to tell people they're wrong just because they have a different way of looking at life?

And also, from your last post, don't act like since I'm young that I don't know anything. Show some respect to a fellow human being.

Are you just not understanding the standard English definitions of the words "religion" and "faith?" Dictionary.com or the merriam-webster site are good places to check out.

It appears that you're the one who needs help understanding, since I've already said that the definition of religion can indeed exclude two main definitions of faith. The terms are not mutually inclusive. Do you know what "mutually inclusive" means?

To describe The Bible in such negative terms is unfair. Certainly, there are verses that advocate violence, intolerance, etc. There are also verses that are eloquent proclamations of love, peace, and acceptance. What this means is that Christians have a wide arc of choice in how they want to interpret The Bible. Perhaps it's contraction, or perhaps there's a deeper order that simply isn't evident at first glance. In any case, your view is overly simplistic.

I agree that his view is overly simplistic, since people who "read" the Bible in such a fashion more often than not take things out of context.

Someone who has done his homework has put together a batch of very good examples of how things are taken out of context:

I'm gonna use ANIME to explain this since we are on Crunchyroll. How does religion start wars? I never understood that. When fans of Naruto argue with fans of One Piece over which Anime is better, did the shows create those arguments? No. The fans of the shows did. Same with Religion. Religion's intention is never to start wars, it's the opposite. If people do different then that's on the people not that the Bible, Koran, Torah, etc.

And if Religion is for the weak, what's wrong with that? Don't act like you're so high & mighty. You're posting in a thread arguing about religion on an anime website.... Come on. If people want to find strength in religion, then let them do it. At least it doesn't destroy their lives like drugs or crime. I'm sure a lot of us have found comfort in Anime & that might have even given us strength. Let people pick religion to make them stronger, just like a lot of you picked Anime.

& If you're an Atheist shoving your views on people, you're no worse then the people shoving the bible down your throat.

I am not religious, nor do I believe that this universe was created by something with intelligence. Or if it was, that something certainly doesn't care about us.

People have asked me how I can look at this complex and orderly universe and not believe it was designed, but, when I look at the universe, I don't see order. The opposite, in fact. Stars exploding all over the place, lethal waves of radiation bombarding everything, the occasional black hole...

The more I look at the world, the more random, chaotic, and indifferent to us it seems. It is stunningly beautiful, of course, but it is not orderly. In fact, the reason I find it beautiful is because it is chaotic.

I think that religion holds people back, but I know it isn't my place to argue that, most of the time. It still irks me, though, when religious people immediately assume they have the moral high ground over me just because they "believe in something." I believe in something, too. Lot's of things, in fact. It's just that gods, magic, and all that spiritual stuff isn't one of those things.

I'm Muslim and truth be told when it comes to Religions Islam is the most logical one. Unlike Christianity and Judaism we our Holy book The Qur'an witch have been wrote over 1400 years ago has not changed one bit plus • It contains many Scientific Statements even though it has remained exactly the same for over 1400 years - This is accepted by everyone !
For Example It Describes:
 Embryology (How a baby forms – Read Prof. Keith Moore)
 The Big Bang Theory (The Start of The Universe)
 The Expanding Universe
 How Gravity Works (Planets 'Swim' in Orbits)
 The Construction of Mountains
 The Water Cycle (Formation of Clouds)
 Pain receptors in the skin
and also • It contains God’s challenge - to try and produce even one chapter like it. This still stands today !
• It was given to a man who could neither read nor write.
• It’s words have the effect of changing peoples’ lives.
• It does not contain a single contradiction despite the fact it was revealed over a period of 23 years.
• It has produced ‘The Largest Practiced Religion’ of about 1.7 billion followers and ‘The Fastest Growing Religion’.

So please look in to This beautiful and do not let the Media cloud your judgement. The Qur’an contains Good News and a Warning.
For those who worship The One Almighty God and follow the example of The Messengers of God, there is Good News of success in this life as well as Eternal Paradise in The Hereafter. Those who reject the message are warned of The Hell-fire. The Messengers of Almighty God include:
Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them).

I know without a doubt that if most people commenting have seen the things I have then they would have a different opinion. I also know that it doesn't matter because people will always believe what they want despite what they see.

So sad to witness the product of indoctrination. Yes you are right, anything negative about the bible is taken out of context. Only the positive elements are taken within the correct context. How convenient.